HP LAUNCHES SMART BUSINESS AWARDS 2013

LONDON, July 3rd 2013 — HP today launched its Smart Business Awards 2013 and began inviting UK SMEs to submit their businesses for the chance to win national recognition and a suite of technology prizes. In this their second year, the HP Smart Business Awards continue to promote the best achievements of the UK’s small and medium sized enterprises (SME), celebrate their contribution to the UK economy and highlight HP’s commitment to partnering with the SME community in the UK.

The awards, which are co-sponsored by LinkedIn, Business in the Community (BITC), DTP Group and Enterprise Nation, include six categories: Community, Next Generation, Skills Creation, Business Growth, Social Media and Innovation. These have been chosen for their potential to shine a light on some of the country’s most dynamic and hardworking businesses. As well as category winners, one business will also be awarded the overall title of HP Smart Business of the Year 2013.

• Community: honouring the small businesses that have become an integral part of their local community by creating a significant, positive difference to its economy or cultural life
• Next generation: celebrating business owners aged 25 or under on 30th August 2013, who have demonstrated significant individual leadership and drive to create a thriving business
• Skills creation: honouring the small businesses that have made a significant contribution in terms of skills creation
• Business growth: honouring the small businesses that have achieved the most economic impact in the last 12 months
• Innovation: recognising the small businesses that have been most innovative in the way they develop and deliver their products or services to customers
• Social media: celebrating the small businesses that have demonstrated the best use of social media to promote their brand, products or services
• HP Smart Business of the Year 2013: awarded to the business that in the judges’ opinion has made the most significant impact over the last 12 months and exemplifies what it means to be a smart business

Winners in 2012 were based across the UK, from London to Aberdeen, and represented a diverse range of business types, including an innovative online grocery delivery service, eco-friendly hair salon, online guide to illustrating children’s eBooks and the use of innovative metal alloys in manufacturing.

The awards will be judged by a panel of business experts including Susan Bowen, Chief of Staff UK & Ireland at HP, senior representatives of sponsor organisations, including BITC, Enterprise Nation and LinkedIn, as well as other influential business leaders.

Winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony held at the Serpentine Gallery in London in October 2013. Category winners will receive an HP product of their choice to match their business needs, a trophy, further prizes contributed by category sponsors and rights to use the award logo. The winner of the HP Smart Business of the Year 2013 will win a suite of HP products, including free HP Cloud Services and a dedicated business mentor from HP’s senior management team for a year.

“SMEs are the backbone of the British economy. With these awards we aim to not only recognise their contribution but to also actively support individual companies in their on-going development,” said Susan Bowen, Chief of Staff UK & Ireland at Hewlett Packard. “We’ll do this by providing technology that allows them to take advantage of new commercial opportunities, as well as run their business more efficiently. We’ll also sponsor their participation in the mentoring and knowledge sharing programmes that HP runs specifically for SMEs in the UK.”

To find out more and to enter the HP Smart Business Awards 2013, please visit www.hpsmartbusinessawards.com. The deadline for submissions is 30 August, 2013. Shortlisted entries will be announced in early September 2013.

HP supports emerging companies through its SMEngage program announced in early 2012 and the LinkedIn Business Answers group where HP has developed a small business community that can learn from one another and collaborate to further grow their businesses.

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. With the broadest technology portfolio spanning printing, personal systems, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP delivers solutions for customers’ most complex challenges in every region of the world. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com